Means for shifting closures.



A. S. NICHOLS,

MEANS FOR SHIFTING CLOSURES.

APPLICATION. FILED IULY M1914.

l 1 3, 1 37, Patented May 4, 1915.

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MEANS FOR SHIF'II NG- CLOSURES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1915.

Application filed July 1, 1914. Serial No. 848,452.

To all whom it may concern 1 Be it known that I, AARON S. NIoHoLs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Shifting Closures, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in means for shifting or adjusting closures such as dampers, valves, gates, and the like, for example, the dampers for entirely or partly closing flues or air ducts in lumber driers or other drying establishments or for shifting other mechanical elements in a similar manner, which shifting means are simple in construction, compact and permit of shifting such dampers or other parts a distance greater than that available for the movement of the part to be actuated for causing such shifting.

In the accompanying drawings in which like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures :Figure 1 is a side view of three ventilating dampers connected with one embodiment of my new and improved shifting means. Fig. 2 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional View of one end part of the tube which serves for shifting the dampers or other parts and a similar view of part of the manipulating rod projecting from one end of this tube, parts being broken away. Fig. 3' is a side view of the inner end of the manipulating rod. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view on the line aa of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the dampers mounted on the tube.

The dampers 1, rest flat on metal casings at the lower end of ventilating tubes 2 in the wall 3 and the dampers are all secured to a tube 4 extending longitudinally and preferably centrally over the dampers, by clips 5 which are secured to the dampers and to said tube 4 by suitable rivets or in any other suitable manner, so that if the tube 4 moves lengthwise, the dampers must participate in this movement. In Fig. 1 the dampers are shown as closing the lower ends of the flues and for the purpose of opening the fines, the dampers 1 must be shifted to the right. Their movement tothe left is stopped by a bracket 6' which is secured in the wall 3 in some suitable manner and by which bracket 6, the tube 4 is supported and guided in its lengthwise movements. The tube 4 is also guided and supported by end brackets 7. The tube 4 is provided with a longitudinal slot 8 and at regular intervals this slot is provided in its side edges with opposite notches 9. The notches 9 at one side of the slot from a right angle shoulder angle shoulder13 is formed at the left hand end of the notch, the inclined edge at the right handedge and the part of the notch 15 parallel with the side edges of the slot 8 being formed between the shoulder 13 and the inclined edge 14. The several notches 9 are all formed in the same manner in pairs.

A rod 16 terminates at its outer end in a handle 17 and at its inner end is slightly beveled or tapered as shown at 18 to prevent it from catching on the edges of the notches 9. A bit 19 projects from the rod 16 at its inner end and is formed thereon in any suitable manner, this bit being of such width that it can slide readily through the longitudinal slot 8 in the tube 4. The rod 16 passes through a housing 20 having a slot 21 of such shape that the rod, with its bit 19 can pass through the same. The other wall of the housing is represented by 22. Assuming that the dimensions of the housing are about 17 inches, the handle of the rod 16 could only be moved about 14 inches, more or less, if it is not to project beyond the housing, which is generally not permissible. Assuming that the gates are 24 inches long or thereabouts and it becomes necessary to move the gates to their full length, the handle 17 should always remain within the housing, that is not project beyond the same. By turning the rod 16 axially the bit can be brought into position to engage the shoulder 10 at the right hand end of any notch 9 so that by pushing'on the rod 16 the tube 4 and the dampers will all be moved to the right. On the other hand by turning the rod 16 in reverse direction the bit can be shifted so as to engage the rectangular shoulder 13 of any notch 9, whereupon the tube 4 and the dampers canbe moved to the left by pulling the rod 16 outward. To shift the bit 19 from any notch 9 to the next notch 9, the rod 16'is 1 first turned axially so that the bit 19 will be within the slot 8 of the tube 4. The gates are to be moved only one notch at a time,

7 two notches and remain in this position for any desired length of time and then again shifted in one direction or the other as may be necessary. For example if the bit 19 engages the rectangular shoulder 10 of the fourth notch 9 as shown in Fig. 2, and the rod 16 is moved to the right, the tube 4 and all the dampers will be shifted to the right the distance of one notch. Then to shift the tube a and the dampers still further to the right, the handle 17 is turned axially to'disengage the bit from the rectangular shoulder 10 of the fourth notch 9, Fig- 2 from the left hand end of the tube 4, so as to bring the bit in line with the slot 8 and then said rod 16 is pulled outward, that is moved to the leftv until the bit 19 is in the third notch 9 whereupon the rod 16 is turned axially to engage the bit with the shoulder 10 of this third notch, whereupon by moving the rod 16 to the right, the tube 4 and the dampers are moved to the right the distance between two notchesand so on successively until the desired movement of the dampers has been ob tained. When the dampers however are to be shifted to the left, the rod 16 is turned axially as to bring the bit 19in engagement with a rectangular shoulder 13 of one of the notches 9 and then the rod 16 is pulled lengthwise to the left and so on. When the bit is in the first notch from the lefthand end of the tube, Fig. 2, the dampers are all completely open and the tube cannot be moved to the right because the stop or brackets prevent any such further movement to the right. To close the doors the distance of one notch the rod 16 is pulled outward, to the left, with the bit engaged with the shoulder 18 of the first notch 9. Then the rod is pushed to the right until the bit is in the second notch 9; then it is moved to the left so as to pull the tube with it; then it is mixed to the right to bring the bit into the third notch 9; then it is pulled to the left so at to move the tube with it and it is then moved to the right to bring the bit into the fourth notch and then pulled to the left so that now the bit rests in the fifth notch 9 and by this time all the dampers are closed. Then in order to open the dampers again, the rod 16 is first pulled to the left from the fifth to the fourth notch and then moved to the right; then from the fourth to the third notch and moved to the right; then from the third to the second notch and moved tot-he right and then from the second to the first the dampers are to bemoved successively a distance of four notches from completely open to completely closed condition or vice versa, it is always necessary to have five notches or in other words there must be one more notch than the number of steps of longitudinal movement required to completely open or close the dampers. Thus in the example shown, we have four steps of longitudinal movement to completely open or close the dampers, but have five notches. When the rod is pushed inward, that is to the right, after having been in engagement with the shoulder 13, the bit is automatically turned into position in alinement with the slot 8 by the bevel 14 of the corresponding notch 9 and likewise when the rod is pulled outward after having been in engagement with a rectangular shoulder 10 of one of the notches 9, the bevel 11 of the corresponding notchalso brings the bit automatically in alinementend of the tube 1 can strike against the v bracket 7 when the tube has been pushed to the right to its limit, thus forming an automatic stop without straining the dampers.

Having described my invention what I I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a longitudinally slotted member and means for guiding the same in longitudinal direction, of a second member mounted to slide and turn axially and supported by said longitudinally slotted member, a projection on said second member, said longitudinally slotted member being provided with a series of notches in the side of the slot for engagement with the said projection on the said sliding and rotative member and a mechanical device mounted for actuation by said longitudinally slotted member, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a longitudinal member mounted to slide lengthwise, of a second member supported by said first I member and mounted to slide lengthwise in relation to said first member. and also to turn axially, a series of notches in said first member, the second member having at its inner ends a means adapted to engage said notches, and a mechanical device mounted for actuation by said first mentioned longitudinal lengthwise sliding member, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a longitudinally slotted member and means for guiding the same in longitudinal direction, of a second member supported by. said first mentioned longitudinally slotted member and mounted to slide and to turn axially in relation to said longitudinally slotted member, a protudinally slotted member being provided jection on said second member, said longiwith a series of notches in the sides of the slot for engagement with said projection on the member mounted to slide on the slotted member, said notches each having a shoulder for engagement with the projection on said second member and a mechanical de vice mounted for actuation by said longitudinally slotted member, substantially as set forth.

4:. The combination with a longitudinally slotted member and means for guiding the same in longitudinal direction, of a second member mounted to slide and turn axially on said longitudinally slotted member, a projection on said second member, said longitudinally slotted member being provided with a series of notches in the sides of the slot for engagement with said projection on the member mounted to slide on the slotted member, said notches being arranged in pairs opposite each other and one notch of one pair having a shoulder for engagement with the said projection at one end and the other notch of a pair having a like shoulder at the opposite end and a mechanical de vice mounted for actuation by said longitudinally slotted member, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a longitudinally slotted member and means for guiding the same in longitudinal direction, of a second member mounted to slide and turn axially on said longitudinally slotted member, a projection on said second member, said longitudinally slotted member being provided with a series of notches in the sides of the slot for engagement with said projection on the member mounted to slide on the slotted member, said notches being arranged in pairs opposite eachother and one notch of one pair having a shoulder for engagement with the said projection at one end and the other notch of a pair having a like shoulder at the opposite end, that'end of each notch opposite the one provided with the shoulder being beveled, and a mechanical device mounted for actuation by said longitudinally slotted member, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a tube slotted longitudinally and provided with a series of notches op osite each other in the edges of the slot, the notches in one side of the slot each having a rectangular shoulder at one end and beveled at the inside end and the notches in the opposite edge of the slot being constructed in the reverse order, of a rod mounted to slide in said tube and to turn therein axially, a bit projecting from said rod of suflicient size to pass through the longitudinal slot and into the notches, dampers mounted on said tube, guide brackets for supporting the tube and guiding it in its longitudinal movements and a handle on the outer end of the sliding rod in the tube, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with a tube slotted longitudinally and provided with a series of notches opposite each other in the edges of the slot, the notches in one side of the slot each having a rectangular shoulder at one end and beveled at the inside end and the notches in the opposite edge of the slot being constructed in the reverse order, of a rod mounted to slide in said tube and to turn therein axially, a bit projecting from said rod of sufficient size to pass through the longitudinal slot and into the notches, dampers mounted on said tube, guide brackets for supporting the tube and guiding it in its longitudinal movement, a projection on the tube at one end in proximity of one of the brackets and a handle on the outer end of the sliding rod in the tube, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with a series of closures, of a longitudinally movable member for operating said closures, said member having a series of shoulders, a device on said longitudinal member and having movement in relation to the same and a means on said latter member for engaging said shoulders, said shoulders being provided to permit of shifting the longitudinally movable member and the closures engaged therewith, step by step, by engagement of the projection on the said movable device and movement of the latter lengthwise, therebeing as many shoulders in the longitudinally movable member as steps are required for moving the longitudinally movable member and the closures in one direction, plus one to affect a complete adjustment of the devices from open to closed position and a like number of shoulders on said longitudinally movable member for movement in the reverse direction, substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York city borough of Manhattan in the coimty of New York and State of New York this 20th day of March A. D. 1914:.

AARON S. NICHOLS.

Witnesses:

CONRAD A. HANSON, EMMA H. DETTLING.

G'opies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

